WASHINGTON: Deputy Defense Secretary Ash Carter Leaving

No. 2 Pentagon Official Leaving Dec. 4

Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton “Ash” Carter will retire from the Pentagon Dec. 4, Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel announced today (October 10).

Ash Carter
(Defense Dept. photo)

Carter, 59, was Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics — the Pentagon’s chief weapons buyer — from April 2009 until October 2011, before taking the No. 2 job at the Defense Department.

A Rhodes Scholar and Phi Beta Kappa member — with a doctorate in theoretical physics from Oxford University — Carter also served in the Pentagon during the Clinton administration when he was Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Policy.

Many expected President Barrack Obama to pick Carter to succeed Leon Panetta as defense secretary before Hagel, a former Republican senator from Nebraska and Vietnam vet, was tapped for the post.

Carter, who became an expert of the Defense Department’s budget process and technology needs, leaves as Pentagon spending remains sharply curtailed — along with the rest of the federal government — due to a government shutdown brought on by a continuing dispute between Obama and Senate Democrats on one side and  House Republicans on the other over funding the Affordable Care Act and other issues.

There was no immediate word why Carter was leaving now or where he would be going after Dec. 4.

Here is the full text of Hagel’s statement:

Earlier today, I met with Ash Carter and reluctantly accepted his decision to step down as Deputy Secretary of Defense on Dec. 4, after more than four and a half years of continuous service to the Department of Defense. 

Ash has been an extraordinarily loyal and effective Deputy Secretary, both for me and Secretary Panetta.  In his previous capacity as Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology and Logistics, he provided outstanding support to Secretary Gates and – most importantly – to our men and women fighting downrange.  He possesses an unparalleled knowledge of every facet of America’s defense enterprise, having worked directly and indirectly for eleven Secretaries of Defense over the course of his storied career. 

I will always be grateful that Ash was willing to stay on and serve as my Deputy Secretary.  I have continually relied upon Ash to help solve the toughest challenges facing the Department of Defense.  I particularly appreciate his work spearheading the Strategic Choices and Management Review, which put the Department in a far stronger position to manage through unprecedented budget uncertainty.  He is a brilliant strategist and an excellent manager who helped enhance the Department’s buying power, but Ash’s most recent tour of the Department will be especially remembered for his tremendous efforts to provide more agile and effective support for our warfighters and their families.  His compassion, love, and determination to overcome any and all bureaucratic obstacles earned him their abiding respect and appreciation.

I am confident that the Department, and the country, will continue to benefit from Ash Carter’s service in the months and years ahead.  I am thankful that Ash will continue to be at my side for the next two months, helping the Department of Defense manage through a very disruptive and difficult time, and ensuring a smooth transition within the office of the Deputy Secretary.  The Department will miss him – I will miss him.

Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton Carter addresses troops at damaged surveys the damage U.S. Consulate in Herat, which fought off an attack by the Taliban in September.
(Defense Dept. Photo by Glenn Fawcett)